Brassiere



Jan. l1, 1955 H. R. DOMBEK 2,698,940

BRAssIERE Filed Oct. l0, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR llula'a Bom/belt ATTORNEYS Jan. 1l, 1955 H, R, DQMBEK 2,698,940

BRASSIERE Filed Oct. 10, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 2,698,940 BRAssIRE Hulda R. Dombek, Seabrook, N. H.

Application ctober 10, 1952, Serial No. 314,166

8 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates to brassires and particularly to a garment which is simple, effective and comfortable.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a brassire adapted to supply a comfortable uplift effect for women having small or underdeveloped breasts as well as for women having large or pendulous breasts.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a brassire which will lift the breast from beneath, compressing and forcing the under part into the upper part and causing it to project forwardly to the maximum possible extent, thereby imparting to the bust an attractive, fashionable, and youthful contour.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a brassire which will allow the proper placement of the breasts to secure the desired amount of separation.

It is a further important object of this invention to provide a brassire which will support small or underdeveloped breasts in such a manner as to induce growth.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reference to the following specification, claims and drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a brassire constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front perspective View of a covering adapted to be attached to the brassire of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view with broken away portions showing the primary support portion of the brassire of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bones and inserts to be enclosed in the band portion of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bones and insert for the cups of the brassire shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a side View of a small or underdeveloped breast showing a reference point.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the breast of Fig. 6 showing the band portion of the brassire in position.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the breast of Fig. 7 showing both the band section of the brassire and the cup section in position.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the cup structure of the brassire.

The brassire of this invention consists of a band portion which tightly encircles the body of the wearer and a portion of the breast to force the bottom section of the breast up into the top section to provide the desired uplift and projection. The brassire further consists of cuplike members which round out the bottom portions of the breast which are somewhat flattened and distorted by the compression action of the band. The upper displacement of that portion of the breast which would normally occupy the space between the band and cup members adds on the average at least two inches to the breast measurement. Forcing the iiesh upwardly into the top portion of the breast causes the skin thereof to expand and causes the breasts to overhang the band of the brassire in such a manner that they are induced to grow. This action may be accentuated if, on donning the brassire, the breasts are gently stretched upwardly and outwardly over the band so as to bring about the maximum hanging action.

While such use of the brassire induces growth of underdeveloped breasts, the brassire may also be used with overdeveloped or pendulous breasts in such a manner as to prevent any growth by merely fastening the band in a looser manner and by not pulling the breasts upwardly and outwardly over the band so that there 1s Patented Jan. 11, 1955 ICC no substantial overhang. In thus using the brassire the breasts rest on a shelf formed by the band and assume their natural conelike shape.

After the breasts have been properly positioned, either by stretching if they are underdeveloped or by placement if they are of the desired size, they will be held firm and intact with no substantial slippage.

Referring now to the drawings, the brassire comprises a band portion 1, side panels 2, and a hook 3. Attached to the band 1 is a pair of cups 4 and 5 and a pair of straps 6 and 7, having elastic inserts 8 and 9 and being connected at their opposite ends with side panels 2. Attached to the forward upper corners of side panels 2 are further straps 10 and 11, which are joined to an intermediate portion of straps 6 and 7.

As may best be seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the band portion comprises two identical pieces of material having bones 12 and 13 stitched therebetween at the ends thereof and having bones 14 and 15 stitched therebetween intermediate the ends thereof. On either side of the center of the band are stitched two pieces of rubberized fabric 16 and 17, which lend stiffness to the band in the vicinity of the underside of the breasts and prevent body movement from wrinkling the material.

The cups 4 and 5 are also constructed of double thicknesses of material and have enclosed therebetween inserts such as 18 shown in Fig. 5. Insert 18 consists of identical pieces of material 19 and 20 having bones 21, 22 and 23 stitched therebetween. These inserts are stitched between the double thicknesses of the cups which are in turn stitched to the forward part of the band 1 along the lines 24 and 25 as best seen in Fig. 1, the line of stitching being hidden by means of lace 26.

While the brassire shown in Fig. 1 is a half brassire which is desirable on many occasions, it may be converted into a full brassire through the use of the cover shown in Fig. 2. This cover consists of two cones 28 and 29 of light lacelike material which are sewn together along the seams 30 and 31 and have a strip of binding 32 sewn along the bottom edges thereof. Attached to the binding strip 32 are tabs 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 having hooks 39 in the ends thereof. Attached to the top of the cones 28 and 29 at their upper point of intersection is a further tab 38 having a hook 39. At the uppermost parts of the cones 28 and 29 are located two hooks 40 and 41 which are adapted to fasten to corresponding eyes 42 and 43 attached to the straps 6 and 7, as is best seen in Fig. l. The entire cover 27 is adapted to be placed over the front portion of the brassire as it is seen in Fig. l with the tabs extending over and under the brassire to fasten on the inside thereof to matching hooks 44, 45 and 46. When the brassire is assembled in this manner it has the appearance of a full brassire although the lacelike cover portion performs no supporting function which would bind or interfere with the projection action brought about through the use of the band 1. Thus while the brassire has the appearance of a full brassire it functions as a half brassire in the aforesaid manner.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 9, a cup 49 having dual walls 47 and 48 has incorporated therein bone or stilener elements 50 which, instead of being flat as are bones 21, 22 and 23 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, are bent at the lower ends 51 to form a bracket section which may be tightly bound to the body to enable the upper portions of the stiffeners 50 to give more support to the breast.

The operation of the brassire of this invention will be better .understood by reference to Figures 6, 7 and 8. In Fig. 6 may be seen a side view of an underdeveloped breast in relation to reference lines 52 and 53. In Fig. 7 there is shown the effect of placing the band at the underside of the breast and tightly engaging it around the body of the wearer so as to force the under part of the breast upwardly to cause the breast to extend outwardly over the upper part of the band 1 in the slightly hanging position shown in Fig. 7. The iiesh which was upwardly compressed by the action of the band is utilized to increase the bust measurement and to force the breast upwardly, as is seen by the location of the bust with respect to reference lines 52 and 53 in Fig. 7. Since the breast as shown in Fig. 7 has a tlat contour on its bottom surface the cups 4 and 5 are provided to impart anaturally conelike outward appearance as is shown in lj`1g. 8. While the primary function of the cups is the elimination of the at appearance of the underside of the breasts, it will be noted that they also perform a slight lifting function as may be seen from the position of the breast 1n Fig. 8 with relation to the reference lines 52 and 53. The overall effect is to raise and project the breast while presenting7 a natural conelike outward appearance and maintaining the desired separation between breasts. Since the growth induced by the brassire is directly dependent upon the manner in which the breasts are placed in the brassire, it is highly useful for correcting an uneven development of the breasts. Thus by using thebrassiere to induce growth in one breast while merely utilizing it to support the other, a condition oi unequal size may be corrected.

Whereas this invention has been described in connection with a specic embodiment it will be understood that this has been done for purposes of clarity only and not in any limiting sense, the invention being limited only by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A brassire comprising a band adapted to completely and tightly encircle the body of the wearer and the lower portion of the breast, said band including a substantially flat front portion adapted to compress the bottom portion of the breast and force it upward, a pair of shoulder straps having one pair of ends attached to the center of said front portion and the other pair of ends attached to rearward sections of said body-encircling band, a pair of support straps having one pair of ends attached to said body-encircling band at approximately the ends of said front portion and the other pair of ends attached to intermediate portions of said shoulder straps, a pair of half cups attached to said front portion on either side of the center thereof and having the lower edges of the cups sewn to the band to form two arc-like seams the lowermost portions of which lie in the lower half of the band, the upper edges of said cups extending above the upper edge of the band a distance no more than one-half the width of the band, and stilener elements in the front portion or" said band and in said cups.

2. A brassire comprising a band adapted to completely and tightly encircle the body of the wearer and the lower portion of the breast, said band including a substantially at front portion adapted to compress the bottom portion of the breast and force it upward and two elongated side panels secured thereto, a pair of shoulder straps secured at one pair of ends to the center of said front portion and at the other pair of ends to rearward portions of said side panels, a pair of supporting straps secured at one pair of ends to the junctions of said front portion and side panels and at the other pair of ends to central portions of said shoulder straps, resilient stiffener elements mounted within the front portion of said band substantially normal to said band in breast-supporting positions, a pair of substantially quarter-sphere shaped cups attached to the front portion of said band at either side of the center thereof along upturned arc-like seams the lowermost portions of which lie substantially below the upper edge of the band, the uppermost edges of said cups extending above the upper edge of said band a distance insufficient to enclose more than the lower half of a breast, and resilient stitener elements mounted within said cups.

3. A brassire comprising a band adapted to completely and tightly encircle the body of the wearer and the lower portion of the breast, said band including a substantially flat elongated front portion adapted to cornpress the bottom portion of the breast and force it upward and two elongated side panels secured thereto, a pair of shoulder straps secured at one pair of ends to the center of said front portion and at the other pair of ends to rearward portions of said side panels, a pair of supporting straps secured at one pair of ends to the junctions of said front portion and side panels and at the other pair of ends to central portions of said shoulder straps, stili fabric stilfener elements mounted within said front portion between the center of said front portion and its junctures with the side panels, and resilient breastsupporting stitfener elements fastened within said band in superposed relation to said fabric stiffener elements and substantially normal to the length of said band, a pair of substantially quarter-sphere shaped cups sewn to the front portion of said band at either side of the center thereof along upturned arc-like seams the lowermost portions of which lie in the lowermost half of the band, the uppermost edges of said cups extending above said band a distance no more than one-half the width of said band whereby no more than the under halves of the breasts are encased therein, and resilient stiffener elements mounted within said cups and extending upwardly from said seams.

4. A brassire comprising a band adapted to completely and tightly encircle the body of the wearer and the lower portion of the breast, said band including a substantially flat elongated front portion adapted to compress the bottom portion of the breast and force it upward and two elongated side panels secured thereto, a pair of shoulder straps secured at one pair of ends to the center of said rient portieri and at trie other pair et errrls to rearward portions of said side panels, a pair of supporting straps secured at one pair of ends to the junctions of said front portion and side panels and at the other pair of ends to central portions of said shoulder straps, resilient stitfener elements mounted within the front portion of said band substantially normal to said band in breast-supporting positions, a pair of substantially quarter-sphere shaped cups attached to the front portion of said band at either side of the center thereof along upturned arc-like seams the lowermost portions of which lie substantially below the upper edge of the band, the uppermost edges of said cups extending above the upper edge of said band a distance iiisiiicient to enclose more than the lower half of a breast, resilient stiffener elements mounted within said cups, and a light-weight cover comprising a pair of breast-enclosing cone-shaped sections detachably secured to the front portion of said band and side panels.

5. A brassire comprising a band adapted to completely and tightly encircle the body of the wearer and the lower portion of the breast, said band including a substantially at elongated front portion adapted to compress the bottom portion of the breast and force it upward and two elongated side panels secured thereto, a pair of shoulder straps secured at one pair of ends to the center of said front portion and at the other pair of ends to rearward portions of said side panels, a pair of supporting straps secured at one pair of ends to the junctions of the front portion of said band and side panels and at the other pair of ends to central portions of said shoulder straps, resilient stitener elements mounted within the front portion of said band substantially normal to said band in breast-supporting positions, a pair of substantially quarter-sphere shaped cups attached to the front portion of said band at either side of the center thereof along upturned arc-like seams the lowermost portions of which lie substantially below the upper edge of the band, the .uppermost edges of said cups extending above the upper edge of said band a distance insufiicient to enclose more than the lower half of a breast, resilient stiiener elements mounted within said cups, a light-weight cover comprising breast-encircling cone-shaped sections, and a plurality of tabs and hooks for releasably securing said cover to said front portion, side panels and straps.

6. A brassire comprising a band adapted to completely and tightly encircle the body of the wearer and the lower portion of the breast, said band including a substantially at elongated front portion adapted to compress the bottom portion of the breast and force it upward and two elongated side panels secured thereto, a pair of shoulder straps secured at one pair of ends to the center of said front portion and at the other pair of ends to rearward portions of said side panels, a pair of supporting straps secured at one pair of ends to the junctions of the front portion of said band and side panels and at the other pair of ends to central portions of said shoulder straps, stiff fabric stiifener elements mounted within the front portion of said band between the center of said front portion and its junctures with the side panels, and resilient breast-supporting stitfener elements fastened within the front portion of said band in superposed relation to said fabric stitfener elements and substantially normal to the length of said band, a pair of substantially quarter-sphere shaped cups sewn to the front portion of said band at either side of the center thereof along upturned arc-like seams the lowermost portions of which lie in the lowermost half of the band, the uppermost edges of said cups extending above said band a distance no more than one-half the width of said band whereby no more than the under halves of the breasts are encased therein, resilient stitfener elements mounted within said cups and extending upwardly from said seams, a light-weight cover comprising breast-encircling cone-shaped sections, and a plurality of tabs and hooks for releasably securing said cover to said front portion, side panels and straps.

7. A brassire of the type described in claim 3 wherein said resilient stitfener elements within said cups comprise Slat-shaped elements which extend below said arc-like seams, said Slat-shaped elements being bent at the seam to provide vertical portions below said seams and outwardly extending portions above said seams.

8. A brassire comprising a band adapted to completely and tightly encircle the body of the wearer and the lower portion of the breast, said band including a substantially flat elongated front portion adapted to compress the bottom portion of the breast and force it upward and two elongated side panels secured thereto, stiff fabric stiffener elements mounted within the front portion of said band between the center of said front portion and its junctures with the side panels, and resilient breast supporting stitener elements fastened within said band in superposed relation to said fabric stilener elements and substantially normal to the length of said band, a pair of substantially quarter-sphere shaped cups sewn to the front portion of said band at either side of the center thereof along upturned arc-like seams the lowermost portions of which lie in the lowermost half of the band, the uppermost edges of said cups extending above said band a distance no more than one-half the width of said band whereby no more than the under halves of the breasts are encased therein, and resilient stitfener elements mounted within said cups and extending upwardly from said seams.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

